Mirror Shards
by Storyteller222
Summary: A recursive fanfiction set during a war for existence that's gone wrong, and thus the characters of this tale (lead by a mirror) must try and figure out what's going on… A Precure OC Focused Side Story of BHS's mega-crossover. Take a look and review if you're willing.
1. Shard 1 - An Awakening

**Mirror Shards**

 _A "Shattered Skies" Recursive Fanfiction_

 _Note: All characters present, besides a mirror, belong to their respective creators and copyright holders. I cannot claim ownership of those characters apart from my own, and even then there's no profit to be made from this story. Additionally, this is a recursive fanfiction to BHS's_ Shattered Skies _. Please read and review his work, if you would be so kind._

 **SHARD 1 - An Awakening**

 _ **-VERTEX THREE: 8.333882^0-**_

 **Lavinia Town**

"What's happening now, Chinami?"

Ever since the aftermath of her operation, Kyoko had grown accustomed to relying on others for visual reference. While she could still hear well enough, there were times - such as this - when it was too loud for her to accurately make out what was happening. Kyoko remembered where she was; sitting outside, on a bleacher, and watch- hearing the school's final expeditionary soccer game. It was to decide on who'd be Captain of the school's soccer team and, after a few games, it was down to just the final two small teams left.

"Miku-chan's really giving it her all." Chinami Nishimura told her over the calls from the other students, sounding nervous. "She's managed to keep the ball out from Marina's team, but-"

"She's not going to score, not this late anyway." Misato Fukuen, her other pair of eyes and also her friend, interrupted with a dulled tone, "Inoue-san's only got to keep the goal clear for just a few more-"

There was a loud cheer from all around her. This could only mean that either Marina-san managed to steal the soccer ball out from Miku-san, like before, or Miku-san was able to score and tied the game with only thirty seconds left. Judging by how loud the other students were, it was probably the latter this time.

' _Couldn't they have just split the position?'_ Kyoko wondered, as the energy died down slightly. _'They both love soccer, and nobody would have thought any less of them.'_

But, this was between Miku Nagasawa and Marina Inoue - the two soccer superstars of Lavina Town. Both incredibly gifted players, but neither willing to acquiesce to being the other's inferior (let alone equal) despite being friends.

 _Her_ friends too, actually.

This would die down. Even if Marina-san didn't immediately score within twenty-nine seconds, there was only one overtime to serve as a tie-breaker. No matter how this ended, someone was going to be captain of the school's soccer team. Besides, they were all friends, and - despite how bitter about something Marina-san could get and act - everyone knew that both Marina-san and Miku-san deeply respected each other.

' _Shame that Kuro-san is missing this,'_ Kyoko thought as the seconds moved by. _'She picked a rotten day to fall sick-'_

 _-static-_

The thought would never finish.

It happened right before the referee was able to blow her whistle and declare overtime. Just one second left, and then everything _stopped_.

All the cheers, all the noises, all that energy around her just stopped dead. Everyone, besides her friends, had stopped moving. She didn't hear so little as a draw of breath, it became so abruptly silent.

However, that was all miniscule to what Kyoko herself was experiencing. She stifled the need to cry out in pain, for there was this -

 _-crack-_

\- hard rush as her mind was forced to process and contain suddenly unbound knowledge. Memories and experience aggressively moved to fill and retake space that they once occupied…

 _-crack-_

\- it was not a painless process. Kyoko had willingly released her past a lifetime ago. That past was no longer apart of her, for it was locked away in order to keep the Shale Wanderer asleep…

 _-crack-_

\- for her to suddenly regain what was given, there could only be one conclusion. For while Kyoko was suffering, her friends worried cries sounding miles away, she saw something.

She saw a girl very much around her her age, holding on tightly to a boy younger than either of them. The girl's dark yellow eyes were afraid and confused, and yet when they looked to Kyoko there was a hint of surprise in them.

 _Kyoko?_ The girl seemed to say, even though her lips didn't move. Kyoko herself froze up, despite her mind's distress, because in one moment she didn't know the girl before her. In the next, she suddenly did.

Kyoko remembered everything about the girl and the boy she was with. She knew everything about them, from their names to their unique histories. Kyoko knew entirely who they were and recalled everything she had done with them. Out of pure instinct, despite her mind in knots, she reached out to grab onto them…

 _-crack-SHATTER!-_

"HIKARI! HIKARU!"

-And then they were abruptly gone. She was left standing there in the bleachers, reaching out and grabbing desperately into thin air.

"-Kyoko! Kyoko!" She heard, feeling someone pulling on her arm. "Snap out of it!"

Blinking, Kyoko's eyes adjusted as her mind settled. She looked out and saw the field; everyone was stuck in a suspended state. The players and referee were virtually frozen like a film image caught between frames. Miku-san and Marina-san were looking around, bewildered over what happened.

"Kyoko-chan?" She heard from her right side. Kyoko blinked, turning her head to her right to see Chinami-san's hands on her arm but with a deep concern present.

Blinking again, Kyoko looked to her left to see Misato stunned but not in regards to the frozen. No, her eyes were focused directly on the small, black pieces of glass that-

' _Oh.'_ Kyoko thought, reaching her hand up to remove her broken prescription. The lenses were shattered, so that could see.

Her mind had broken...

"Kanae."

"Mistao."

"What do you remember?"

 _...so that she could respond._

"Get the others." Kyoko ordered as she rose out of her seat, Chinami-san having released her hold. Both she and Mistato followed her action, "we need to get to the Knotts Hut; if we're lucky, we'll manage to reach him before he rises."

"Right."

Once free of the bleachers, the girls went their separate ways. Chinami headed towards the field to get Miku and Marina; they'd get filled in on the way. Mistao would have to find Reiko, Nadeshiko, and Asami; they'd probably be in the library while Asami would be cleaning the school cafeteria. As for Kyoko, she knew exactly where to look for Rie, Hisako, and Yuko; Rie and Yuko would be with Hisako, working on scripts.

' _Something's gone wrong.'_ Kyoko thought as she ran into the school, passing by the still bodies of students and school personnel, _'something's must have gone terribly wrong for me to return.'_

* * *

 **END OF SHARD 1**


	2. Shard 2 - The Meeting

**SHARD 2 - The Meeting**

 _ **-VERTEX THREE: 8.333882^0-**_

 **Lavinia Town**

 **Knott Hut**

Eyes shut, body bound, and behind a glass mirror.

" _Who're you supposed to be?"_

The seals were still in place with the glass intact. The frame was in one piece without even one bit of wear.

" _Haven't you heard of me? I'm Flare-ore-sama, the great Shale Wanderer! Tremble before me!"_

Despite the disturbance, he was not free. Despite this disruption, at least this small corner remained untouched. Ironic really, given Flare's history.

"Kanae." Kyoko heard Misato spoke up. "You done staring at him yet? Or do you need a few more minutes?"

" _Y-you bitch! Don't you dare think this is over, you teme! I'll beat your ass hard and then I'll-"_

"No, I'm done." Kyoko said, turning away from the mirror to see Misato standing there with Hisako Kanemoto, aspiring writer and general idea collaborator. "I just had to be sure that whatever this is didn't screw with our 'guest'. Did I miss anything?"

"Actually, we were just waiting for you." Hisako said, "we figured that you would be highly attentive of the Shale Wanderer's mirror and decided to wait for you before we started."

"Ah, thanks Hisako-chan."

"It was Reiko-san's idea, but you're welcome anyway."

"Come on, we need to get back upstairs and figure out our next move," Misato said bluntly, already standing by the stairs. "The longer we wait, the worse things are probably going to get; it's how stuff like this always turns out."

"Right."

* * *

The Knott Hut was a simple place; an old piece of property that was used for meetings and to hide the Shale Wanderer's mirror. It was found by Reiko Kiuchi and, despite needing to clean it up and deal with space issues, the lot of them made it work. It helped that no one else would normally expect some random building to be important.

Kyoko stood before her assembled group of friends, the eleven of them packed tight in the living room. To her right were Chinami, Miku, Rieko, Yuko Minaguchi, and Rie Kugimiya. To her left were Misato, Asami Tano, Nadeshiko Yamato, Marina, and Hisako.

"So," Kyoko began, taking in every possible detail of the sight before her. She needed to commit this to memory as best as possible; every moment was fleeting after all. "Despite the fact that time had seemed to have stopped for everyone else, the mirror's still intact, thankfully."

"Not everyone." Asami said, "after Misato told me, I went to check up on Kuroyuri. She's disappeared."

"And it's not just Kuro-san that's disappeared." Rie spoke up, sitting beside Hisako, "Ayumi was visiting us and she vanished too before it happened."

Kyoko tilted her head slightly, "Ayumi?"

"Sakagami Ayumi, Cure Echo." Misato clarified, "the only one of the Cures that knows about this place and us. She's kind of like you, Kanae."

Kyoko opened her mouth to speak…

" _Ayumi-san?"_

" _Don't worry, Kyoko. I've got you. The other Cures may have gone crazy, but you've still got Cure Echo on your side."_

' _Loyal, compassionate, and a great friend once she comes out of her shell.'_ Kyoko closed her mouth, smiling in thought. _'Yeah, that's Ayumi-san alright.'_

"She was helping us with the latest script; we were discussing a scene we had just finished drafting." Yuko said softly, "the next thing we knew, she vanished into thin air and then everyone, well, you know the rest."

"Okay, so in addition to everyone being frozen, Kuro-san and Ayumi have both disappeared without a trace." Kyoko summarized, her brows furrowed in consideration. "There's something we're missing about all this."

"Well, she did say she was feeling weak." Reiko mused out of thought, "I think she was clutching her chest at one point…"

"We need to investigate this." Miku spoke up, standing out of her seat, "the longer we're here, the less time we have. Mulling over the same information does nothing to solve the problem."

"Miku-san-"

"Kyoko, you can see and you _remember_." The soccer player continued on, a fire in her eyes, "if Shale isn't the cause, then something must be wrong on the outside."

"I agree." Marina said in a strong tone, "someone's messing with our world and they need to pay for it."

Kyoko kept to herself as the same determination spread to the others to some degree; leave it to athletes to get people excited. While it's true that caution has its advantages, especially when you don't know what you're dealing with, a recklessness course of action will speed things along.

"What's our next move, Kanae-san?" Nadeshiko spoke up, sharing the same knowing look everyone else had.

"Simple," Kyoko began as a clear colored aura manifested around her. "We've got an investigation to start. Let's move out!"

"Hai!" Ten voices shouted back at her.

With a smile on her face and a determined fire ignited within, Kyoko Kanae felt confident. They were only eleven of them, but she'd been with fewer Cures than that before and still they came out on top.

' _It's time to set things right.'_ Kyoko thought, as she began to manifest her power. _'Everything will turn out fine, no matter the pinch we're in. We're Precures, the protectors of this world. And we're gonna save it.'_

Summoning her PreChanMirror to her hand, Kyoko watched as it snapped open and revealed her reflection, and its bottom button glowing.

" _Kawarunrun~"_ It cried, before a flash flared up. Kyoko spun around as her hair became loose and was restyled with a longer length and fuschia color. As a trio of PreCard formed and overlapped depicting Cure Vision, Kyoko slotted them into the mirror.

"Precure! Kururin Mirror Change!" She cried out, rolling the button as the PreChanMirror formatted an image of Cure Vision in its frame.

A gray light shined before revealing Kyoko, now dressed in a light gray cloak, who then spun around as gray hearts emerged from the PreChanMirror and surrounded her. Two of the hearts came forward touched her arms before transforming into her bracelets. Two more hit her legs and granted her a pair of boots with over the knee fuschia stocking. Tapping the PreChanMirror against the side of her head, a gray bow with a fuschia heart appeared in her hair. Two more hearts come forward, forming earrings, before landing on a giant heart that exploded beneath her and formed the rest of her outfit.

Removing her cloak with a spin, the newly transformed Cure Vision revealed her completed ensemble. Placing her PreChanMirror on her right hip which was encased within a carrying case that formed around it. Reaching for a final heart, Vision placed it onto her left wrist and it turned into her LovePreBrace. Thus, striking a pose, her transformation complete.

"The grand view of wonders stretching throughout, even the beyond! Cure Vision!" The Cure declared, beaming.

There were any further words between them, beyond other transformations. This was how it was whenever necessary; the world would need saving, and they would go save it. Individually, each of them had the utmost of trust and confidence in each other because they are friends. Nothing would ever change that.

No matter how things might be, nothing was impossible as long as they had one another…

* * *

 **END OF SHARD 2**


	3. Shard 3 - The Return

**SHARD 3 - The Return**

 _ **-VERTEX THREE: 8.333882^1-**_

 **Wakabadai**

" _We've had no success in penetrating the barrier,"_ Dark Rouge said from Cure Vision's Cure Line. _"And as far as we can tell, it circles the entire area. There's no way in or out, Vision. This was planned and set up, probably before they even had a chance to react."_

"Damn." Cure Vision muttered, rubbing her eyes. "With Cinq Lumieres lost, then the Cure Rose Garden is too. That's five now."

" _You mean the others-"_

"Yeah, Rouge. Beauty and Aqua found the Sky Tree badly burnt and still on fire. They couldn't find any trace of Bloom, Egert, or the Kiryuu sisters. March and Lemonade got to Clover Town, but it's swarmed with weird looking machines; we're fortunate they didn't get taken and escaped. Peace and Dream got to Kanon Town, but it's practically dead and overflowing with the Melody of Sorrow; we can only assume the worst."

" _What about Wakabadai?"_

"It's torn up like a war zone." Vision answered, showing the damaged surroundings to Rouge. "There was a fight here, but between what I'm not certain. Plus, the Dusk Mansion, Cure Black and White, Hikari and Hikaru are all gone."

" _Shit. Where does that leave us?"_

"Judging by how things have been going, we're regrouping at Pikarigaoka to try and find Blue-sama." Vision answered, "since Clover Town's not an option, we'll have to use Blue's mirrors to reach the other worlds or at least get help from some of the Cures outside of the country."

" _Gotcha. We'll be there as soon as we can, Rouge out."_

Pocketing the device after the connection ended, Cure Vision paused to stable herself from Rouge's report. That was five areas now, and nothing but destruction or loss with the single constant being that they were stuck picking up the aftermath. Not a single thing has gone as it should have and -

"Agh!" Vision cried out, as her form shifted and sputtered like a flickering light; it briefly became different before settling back into focus. Ever since Kyoko transformed into Cure Vision, she had been hitting these points where her body would be unstable briefly and randomly change before stopping.

' _Why is this happening?'_ She thought, before hearing someone call out. "Vision! You okay?" Looking up, Vision saw Bad End Sunny and Dark Mint rush toward her position.

"I'm fine." Vision replied, "my body must be still adjusting to having powers out in the open again."

"What did Rouge say?" Mint asked, though it sounded more like a whisper due to her tone of voice.

"It's the same as everything else so far." Vision replied, "and I'm willing to bet it's going to be the same elsewhere."

"So what's the plan?" Sunny asked, "we can't just repeat this."

"That's why we're going straight to Pikarigaoka and asking the international Cures for help; Sunset and Wave will be our first stop." Vision answered, bringing a hand to her LovePreBrace, "brace yourselves; I'm still a bit rusty with this."

Taking a breath, and focusing through her fear, Vision called out, _"Precure! Gray Sightful Conveyance!"_

There was a flash of light that emerged from her LovePreBrace, engulfing her, Mint and Sunny in short order. When it faded, the three of them were gone and there wasn't so much as a sign that they were there.

Not even an imprint on the ground.

* * *

 _ **-VERTEX THREE: 8.333882^9-**_

 **Pikarigaoka**

 **Simultaneously**

There was a ripple of air and then, they were there. Appearing in a flash of gray, though disoriented slightly, the three appeared with only one of them stumbling.

And that was Vision herself. She felt a bit taxed by that transport, possibly dizzied since she almost tripped but was caught by Mint.

"Are you alright, Vision?" Mint asked.

"I'm okay." Vision replied, trying to stable herself back into standing up, "j-just… never traveled that long of a distance before."

"You said it yourself, Vision, you're not at your best yet." Sunny drawled, looking ahead, "though I don't think we'll get much luck here either. Take a look."

Looking ahead, and free of Mint's support, Vision paled at what she saw. It was the Pikarigaoka Bridge, something she had crossed plenty of times before, wrecked and ruined. What remained of it was half-submerged in the Shikuji river and was left in a twisted state.

But even then, there was the additional point; they were standing in what used to be Pikarigaoka's shopping district. The buildings were somewhat recognizable, but weirdly enough it was half covered in vines. A lot of it was cut, and that hole through seemed to have scorched its way in.

"We better hurry." Vision found herself saying while trying to pull her mind away from her surroundings, "we're not that close, but it shouldn't be too far to reach the embassy. But both of you, be on your guards; I have a bad feeling about all this."

"Right."

As the three forged themselves ahead, and through the foliage, what they were unable to be aware of, however, was the crucial fact that they were being watched…

* * *

 **Cross Mirror Room**

 **Simultaneously**

" _S-Stop, you've got t-to r-run away…"_ Blue tried to speak in vain, hoping that the mysterious three new Cures would somehow hear him. _"It's a-AGGGGHHHH!"_ He screamed out as his prison was struck with a foul power.

"Silence yourself, impotent 'Kami'." A figure spoke from atop their throne, mirrors hovering all around. "You are not privileged to speak." Gray eyes glared at the mirror before focusing on another which displayed the three unknown Cures wandering through Pikarigaoka's shopping district.

To the figure, personally, they knew exactly who they were just from looking at them. The green doppelganger they once created, surprisingly returned; someone else's doppelganger and a red one at that; and finally-

"You." The figured hissed, eyes narrowed in remembrance towards the center figure. Oh while she seemed different, they remembered that wayward mirror. They remembered full well the meddling and what they were denied of. Twice.

"Not this time." The figure said to no one, rising out of their throne, "favor fortunes us; all of us. Dead End stands triumphant, and we stand as apart of Dead End!" Power emanated from the figure, "the world is ours and more will follow!"

The figure let out a harsh laugh as Blue looked on, helpless.

' _Why did everything have to go wrong?'_ He thought regretfully as the figure finished their laugh and exited through a mirror. It wasn't hard to figure out how something like this would turn out.

Blue should have known, since he had watched it happen plenty of times.

* * *

"We should be getting close." Vision said, running past some wreckage that used to be a truck. "Blue-sama will have some questions for us, but I think he'll-" She stopped, both vocally and physically.

Mint and Sunny quickly caught up to her.

"Vision?" Mint asked, cautiously. "What is it?"

Vision took stock of the area they were in: there was the wrecked truck, a pile of discarded newspapers, a bench, a collapsed brick wall-

"Move!" Vision suddenly shouted, the three of them jumping away just before a long shadowy arm emerged from the truck wreckage. Its entire form shuddered as another arm emerged on the opposite side and it miraculously transformed. While there seemed to be a pair of yellow eyes and what looked like a mouth up where the driver would be, there was a head sticking out of the front and it wore a mask.

" **Kowainaa~"** The creature cried as it flailed its arms around.

"That's-" Vision began, yet stopped to avoid an attack from a different creature that suddenly sprung up from the discarded newspapers. This one had a mask like the previous one, yet had their entire gigantic form seemingly made out of the material except for its mask.

"This must be some sort of trap." Mint said, dodging another attack from the truck creature. Sunny ignited her feet and got airborne, just in time to avoid getting hit by the bench which transformed into a similar creature.

"They must have been expecting survivors." Vision realized, bringing her LovePreBrace up. "We'll have to be quick and deal with these Kowaina before-agh!" Vision cried out, as her form rippled and distorted.

"Vision!" Mint and Sunny cried out, just as the brick wall reassembled itself and grew into a large, armored centipede-like creature, though it too shared a mask like the others on its face.

" **Kowainaa~"** The creature cried out before charging towards Cure Vision and-

Ran straight into a shield made of energy.

However, its target was no longer the same. Crouched down where Vision was, there stood a girl dressed in purple with purple eyes and purple hair done up in a large bun on the left side of her head, right above her ear and between both was a wing decoration.

"Vision?" Mint called out, confused by what she saw.

"That's not Cure Vision." Sunny said before unleashing a hail of dark fire onto the Newspaper Kowaina, "that's Cure Mirror."

"I should have figured this would have happened." Cure Mirror panted before dismissing her shield and bringing her hands together as a violet energy collected into them, _"Mirror Bright Blinding!"_ She called out, unleashing a wide beam that engulfed the dazed centipede Kowaina head on.

When the attack finished, all that was left of the Kowaina were broken fragments that used to be a brick wall and shards that were once the monster's mask.

' _That's one down.'_ Mirror thought while trying to stand up, _'are things so crazy now that I'll start cycling forms at random?'_

"Look out!" Sunny shouted, flying in and grabbing Mirror - both of them narrowly avoiding getting smashed by the Bench Kowina.

"We need to destroy the other two quickly." Mint spoke, having conquered green orbs earlier that flew forward and smashed into the Truck Kowina's wheels, causing it to spin out of control and crash into the Bench Kowaina. "The longer we stay here, the more time our enemies have against us."

"I'll see what I can do." Sunny said after safety dropping Mirror off by Mint. She then flew over to the Newspaper Kowaina and, with hands aflame, unleashed a fireball that struck the monster head on. It cried out in pain, as its body began to catch fire.

"Direct hit!" Sunny cheered yet was knocked away by the burning Newspaper Kowina. However, Mint managed to jump up and safely catch the Bad End Cure.

"Got you." Mint said, landing next to Mirror, "can you fight, Mirror?"

"Give me a second." Mirror replied, taking deep breaths, "body's a bit tired-"

" **Kowainaa~"** The Truck Kowaina cried, supported upwards by its Bench counterpart. Mirror, gritting her teeth, brought her hands together and unleashed another blast, this time aiming it at the Bench Kowaina to disable the Truck and-

It was blocked. It was blocked by a magical circle that manifested from out of nowhere.

" **A decadent effort, for a troublesome mirror."** A new voice rang out, both Mint and Mirror paling as their eyes widened in recognition, **"but then again…"**

A figure appeared before them, yet was bizarre in that they possessed a blend of feminine and masculine features. However, for Mint and Mirror, they knew exactly who this was.

"You'd have to be tremendously powerful in order to overcome Shadow." The figure finished with a sneer.

"Y-You, how?" Mirror asked out of disbelief, "you're supposed to be destroyed, twice over even!"

"Whatever could you mean?" Shadow asked, grinning as the three Kowainas - the Bench and burnt Newspaper Kowainas helping the Truck Kowaina - joined beside them. "Shadow stands before you like any other living being regardless of how preposterous it's made out to be."

"The Five Cures blasted you into oblivion with the Miracle Lights." Mirror said with a frown, "and I destroyed you back when you rose up again thanks to that Black Hole entity!"

"Hmm, yes. Yes that is correct. Except not really." Shadow began, inspecting their fingernails, "while Shadow was destroyed thanks to those pesky Cures and fairies, yourself included, this 'Black Hole' you speak of never revived Shadow but instead used Shadow's likeness. And even then, it was probably but a mere echo of Shadow's power." Their eyes glanced to Mint and Sunny, the former grimacing beneath the gaze while the latter assumed a combat position, "as you're aware, troublesome mirror, duplicates are never as grand as their original."

"Let me guess, you're here for revenge?" Sunny piped up, rolling her shoulders.

"Well, while Shadow would prefer to take pleasure against the pesky Precure that ruined Shadow's wish, they're unavailable for such." Shadow said, before smirking towards Mirror, "fortunately, Shadow remained behind and will get retribution towards you, troublesome mirror. You weren't at the Precure's residence when the Secretary and the Daimon sprung their trap, and you've brought one of Shadow's defective duplicates with you." The smirk became a devious smile, "it saves Shadow the trouble in reclaiming the mirror crystals ahead of time."

"Never." Mint spoke up with a glare.

"Excuse you?"

"We will never take part in anything involving you. **Darkness Spread.** " Mint said, summoning green orbs, "we would rather be shattered like we were once before!"

"You haven't a choice." Shadow simply said.

Instead of continuing any bit of conversation, Mint sent the orbs straight toward Shadow with the majority aimed at their head. However, they were blocked by the same magical circle as before and repealed without any strain.

"Shadow has a schedule to keep." Shadow said before snapping their fingers, causing five large mirrors to appear.

Mirror paled at the sight of them, but only because of what they were. "Those are Blue's-"

"Shadow calls upon you to perform a needed service!" Shadow shouted, and immediately from the mirrors a small army emerged. Comprising them were five large, dark bodies with purple colored scarves and belts, and red eyes.

"Saiarks!?" Mirror cried out, grimacing at how the enemy's forces dwarfed her and her friends.

"Oh yes, Shadow was very fortunate that Queen Mirage provided the knowledge of how to create them." The androgynous being said, before raising their hand towards the three, "take the duplicates; the troublesome mirror is Shadow's alone to face."

"Stick together!" Sunny declared, the three Cures bracing themselves before moving away to avoid getting assaulted by the eight, large creatures. Yet before any of them could react, Shadow flew in and knocked Mirror away.

"Mirror!" Both Mint and Sunny cried out, but they were soon attacked and dwarfed by the Kowinas and the Sairaks.

"Shadow wants to know what makes you so problematic, Troublesome Mirror," Shadow said, grabbing at Mirror by her throat. As the Cure struggled to pry herself free, Shadow brought their arm back. "Are you like the others? Or are you just a fraud like before?"

"At least I didn't steal what wasn't mine." Mirror choked out in response. Shadow just shrugged it off out of indifference.

"Irrelevant. But, time for Shadow to reach." With that, the androgynous villain's arm blurred and they forced their hand straight in and-

Mirror howled in agony despite the grasp on her throat as Shadow…

A-as Shadow…

"W-What are you doing?" Mirror seethed in pain as Shadow was _digging around the inside of her chest somehow!_

"Now where is it?" Shadow mused, pushing their arm further inside causing Mirror even more pain.

"Mirror!" She heard her friends cry out, but they felt so far away…

"Shadow has gone past your ribs and brushed past your heart even, so where is it, Troublesome Mirror?" Shadow almost growled in annoyance, "where is your light?"

"What are you talking about?" Mirror asked, trying not to seize from the intense pain she was under. "What light?"

"The opposite to ours, naturally," Shadow said with a sneer, pushing in even deeper causing further discomfort. "All should possess a counterpart to that of Chaos, and you are no exception-" The androgynous entity stopped, before smirking. "Found it, now let's take a look and-"

It happened quickly and Mirror wasn't able to fully follow. However, despite the intense pain she was shouldering, the Cure was barely able to understand that she started to ripple and distort the minute Shadow touched something. Whatever it was, so deep within and past her heart even, it had to be important.

She would have screamed, but her mouth wasn't available at the moment.

And during it all, as both Sunny and Mint fought vigorously against being literally outnumbered and trying to get to Mirror, Shadow was intimately raptured by whatever they were seeing.

"Now that is interesting." Shadow said, tearing her arm out and causing another cry of pain. "Shadow is surprised by what Shadow sees of you, Troublesome Mirror. Shadow is humbled by the possibilities you bring with you." The androgynous figure grinned, "and Shadow knows one in particular who will be very interested by your possibilities."

Grimacing, Mirror - whose transformation had broken and returned to being Kyoko - eyed Shadow with fatigue marred defiance despite having a hand around her neck. Her gray eyes did their best to glare while her hand were still grasping at Shadow's grip.

"Spirited or not, it doesn't matter. Not to Shadow or to Dead End." Shadow sneered, sticking their head out and closer to Kyoko. "You are going to shatter, Troublesome Mirror. And from the pieces we-"

Before Shadow could finish, just as the three Kowina and five Sariaks were about to crush Sunny and Mint, there was a single cry.

" **Darkness Fire!"** And from above, a hail fire of red rained down and onto the eight monsters. Following this, precise shots of pink struck the eight separately and quickly.

"What the-" Shadow began, thought was interrupted by another cry.

" **Darkness Flash!"** This time, a crescent wave of yellow came in and sliced off their arm off at the elbow. While this freed Kyoko from Shadow's grasp and caused the villain to grimace in pain, it was followed up by a green ball of energy that flew in and struck Shadow in the head - sending them away into an abandoned building.

As for Kyoko, she hit the ground with a thud and coughed slightly after. She was feeling exhaustion from all this; whatever Shadow did made her feel worse.

' _I need to get up._ ' Kyoko thought, though her body felt so drained, _'what was it Megumi always says? 'Shiawase Happiness'?'_ Finding her hands, Kyoko began to push herself back up. _'Gotta finish this, I need to see this through.'_

Slowly forcing her eyes open, Kyoko began to piece things back together. They were still in what used to be Pikarigaoka's shopping district, that was Shadow's severed arm in front of her-

"Oh god!" Kyoko cried out, jumping away from the sight. Her mind panicked since this is the first time she'd ever-

" **SARIAK!"** She heard overhead. Looking up, Kyoko saw one of the five dark figures with its fists raised and about to strike down on her.

' _Move!'_ Kyoko thought, but her body just froze as the fist ever got closer and-

"Are you alright, Kyoko-san?" Bad End Beauty asked in a semi-formal fashion as she and Dark Aqua both blocked the Sariak's fist. "We got here as fast as we could."

"W-Well, better late than never." Kyoko said a tad shakily, smiling out of relief. "I almost thought we were in trouble."

"Would have been here sooner had crossing been more efficient." Dark Aqua commented, before she and Beauty pushed the Sariak's fist away with a considerable effort. They then each quickly conquered their respective swords - Aqua's being a broadsword with a glowing blue blade while Beauty made one of ice. In little time, the Sariak was sliced to pieces and defeated; it dispersed into nothingness shortly after.

Looking around, Kyoko watched as the rest of the Cures worked to make quick of the remaining Sairaks and Kowinas.

' _I can't have them do all the work.'_ Kyoko thought, re-energized and manifested her aura once more. Summoning her PreChanMirror to her hand, Kyoko transformed back into Cure Vision before jumping into action and joining the fray.

With all eleven Cures assembled, the remaining monsters were destroyed post haste. Soon, all that remained of them was the material that once made the Kowanias. Taking a breath, Cure Vision allow a wave of relief to wash over her.

"Everyone." She began, giving a small smile. "Thank you for getting here in the nick of time."

"Don't think anything of it, Vision." Bad End Happy drawled, stepping on some mask shards. "Besides, it's not on us that you got into a trap."

"Hey!"

"To be fair Vision, we all did report back to you with a seemingly similar result." Dark Aqua said, sword in hand. "You could have been more cautious."

"Well, I-" Vision started but instead got interrupted.

"We're wasting time." Bad End March said abrasively as ever, stepping forward. She looked to Cure Vision, "we need to find Blue, remember?"

"Oh, right. Thanks March." Vision said, bringing her LovePreBrace back up. "Stick close, and stay on high alert. Even though the Embassy is nearby, there's no telling what else-"

" **YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!"** A loud, monstrous voice boomed. The eleven Cures turned to see the building Shadow was knocked into shuttered and shake. Then a large, monstrous version of Shadow forced itself out of the building despite lacking half an arm.

" **SHADOW WILL NOT BE DENIED THIS TIME, TROUBLESOME MIRROR!"** Shadow roared in fury, **"NOT AT THIS HOUR OF TRIUMPH! NOT BY YOU, OR BY DEFECTIVE DUPLICATES!"**

"We don't have the Miracle Lights on hand for this." Vision said, readying an attack, "strike hard and quick everyone!"

Yet as soon as the order was given, before either the Cures could say a single word or the monstrous Shadow could charge...

" **ARGH!"** Shadow cried out in pain, as a bright crimson flash struck them from behind. Instantly the monstrous figure crumpled and collapsed to the ground before them. Acting as an indicator, Shadow's glowing eyes dimmed into nothing.

"What the…?" Bad End Peace spoke, practically voicing what they were all thinking. As the large, hulking form disappeared in a flash there stood a new figure behind where Shadow was previously in the ruins of the building.

While Kyoko had learned, and had been taught, to thank someone whenever they do something that's favorable, this didn't apply here. Sure, this newcomer had defeated Shadow and saved the eleven of them the trouble of another battle. Sure, this would speed things up and give them a better chance at reaching the Embassy and possibly finding Blue.

But, there's also the fact that whoever this is just defeated Shadow - who was in a state that tore through a building like it was nothing - did it one shot. In all her experience, from Cure Grey to Cure Vision, this was too convenient to just happen from out of nowhere. Besides, she was starting to get this feeling of dread…

"Vision, are you alright?" She heard Dark Lemonade say, yet couldn't immediately respond. Her eyes were focused on the figure who began to stroll towards them casually.

"On your guard." Vision found herself saying almost automatically, "everyone, get ready."

Once the figure got close enough, Vision and the other Cures got a decent look of them. While dressed not dissimilar to Cure Vision, the main attributes that separated them, and were most catching to the eye, were a red and black long coat, blood red hair, and eyes of ice and twice as cold.

"Hi there," She greeted, stopping her casual walk and allowing for a small distance between them. Despite the seemingly calm demeanor, it only made that sense of unease increase. "Where'd you Precure come from, hmmm?"

"Phantom." Vision found herself breathe, almost lashing out in the face of another foe's apparent return. "PhanPhan, don't do this! Whatever's trying to control you, you've got to overcome it! You'd only just been freed from Red's influence, you need to…" Whatever words she was about to say died in her throat because something terrible dawned in Vision's mind.

' _If that's Phantom as UnLovely again, then why didn't he attack us already?'_ She realized, eyes widening when something else dawned on her. _'Wait, no. No that couldn't be - she wouldn't!'_

And it was there that this Cure's smile grew even more sinister than before, because she knew.

"M-Megumi?" Kyoko found herself whisper, terrified.

Instead of responding, UnLovely giggled in a sick display of joy before pouncing and then moving quickly to avoid getting struck by a multitude of attacks. Retreating backwards and increasing the distance between them, yet Kyoko found herself freezing up. If someone like Megumi was twisted into her own pale intimation, then-

"Vision!" Kyoko heard someone call out, before she was shaken slightly. "Vision, snap out of it!"

Coming back to her senses, Cure Vision saw Happy standing there an uncharacteristic look of concern on her face.

"You froze up." She said, "I was this close to slapping you. What's wrong?"

"That's Megumi, Cure Lovely or at least that should be Cure Lovely." Vision said, wincing despite lacking an actual shock, "whatever is causing this managed to turn her into something Phantom made once using her shadow."

"Can we fight her off?"

"I-I don't know." Vision found herself saying as the other nine Cures desperately attacked to keep UnLovely away. She was playing with them, that much was obvious.

"You don't know?"

"Well, Shadow used Blue's Mirrors to get those Saiarks and with Lovely like that…" Vision's voice trailed off, closing her eyes and grimacing. "We're walking blind here."

"Vision, look at me." Happy ordered, Vision opening her eyes and giving her full attention to the Bad End Cure. "We may be off the rails, but we're not hopeless. This isn't the first time the world's gone mad, remember?"

"I… you're right." Vision said, her resolve returning. "Okay, let's get Lovely out of her funk and start from there. Maybe we'll get a break and-"

" _We're gonna ge~et a~all of the of the Pre~cure,"_ Vision heard UnLovely practically sing, as if she was reciting a nursery rhyme. _"Lock them a~all up on the Merry-Go-Round~"_

"The hell that's suppose to mean!?" Vision heard Sunny snap, looking to see her speeding towards UnLovely with a strong punch-

 _-crack-_

Again, events happened quickly with an inane sense of pace. Vision was able to follow enough details to understand what happened. First, Phantom appeared from out of nowhere and blocked Sunny's punch with his gauntlet. Then, to make matters worse, Sunny abruptly disappeared without a trace.

In fact, she wasn't the only one: Beauty, Happy, and March all suddenly vanished as well. The four of them were there one moment and gone the next, faster than a lit candle who's fire had just been snuffed out.

"That- what, how-" Vision tried to speak as her mind sputtered and tried to process what she just saw. Was this some new ability of Phantom's? Or some power that UnLovley possessed? Were they captured? Destroyed? What-

"Look out!" Vision heard Peace shout and then she noticed UnLovely was coming straight at her. There was little time for Vision to react before UnLovely was right before her with a fist pulled back and -

 _-crack-_

Hit right into the chest of Dream, who came right between them both and took the hit for Vision. While the shock almost stunned Vision at how sudden everything was unfolding, she managed to instinctively reach out and move to force UnLovely back.

UnLovely, however, avoided the attack by pirouetting away and chuckled sinisterly while doing so. This left Vision to support Dream, who soon crumbled to her knees.

 _-crack-_

"Dream, you al-" Vision began, but stopped when she noticed a crucial detail. The diamond upon Mirror's chest was damaged. There were terrible cracks on the face of the gemstone that were becoming worse and worse, more than likely going to result in it fracturing into shards within seconds.

' _No.'_ Kyoko thought in horror at the sight, ' _No, not this!'_

"Dream, hold on. I might-" The words were caught in her throat, "there's got to be something I can- I just…"

 _-crack-_

"Kyoko-chan…" Dream whispered, as a pink glow surrounded her. "Don't worry… "

"No…"

 _-crack-_

"No matter how dark it gets, as long as there's a chance…" Dream breathed, as her feet began to dissolve into a light. "There will be salvation… always hope, never despair…"

"Chinami-san…" Kyoko whispered, yet the Cure in her arms just closed her eyes and gave a reassuring smile.

 _-crack-SHATTER!-_

And then, then her gemstone finally fractured into shards. With that, Chinami Nishimura, aka Dark Dream, dissolved into light. Light that blew away and left behind only the pieces that once sustained her, now lying in the street.

Kyoko, currently Cure Vision, almost teared up, but her sorrow was pushed back. Instead, she focused elsewhere. Instead, wrath and anger filled her. Instead-

"What're you getting so worked up about?" Vision heard UnLovely ask, though it almost sounded like a whisper. "She wasn't actually a Precure, really she wasn't even real to begin with."

"Shut up."

"Why is she so important to you, anyway?" UnLovely asked, close enough that it was almost as if she was whispering into Vision's ear. "You seem almost as real as me, and yet not quite real enough~" Vision heard her balance something on the tip of her finger, "would you be willing to change that?"

Vision put her hands together. "Never."

"Oh? Why's that?"

"It doesn't matter what I, or the others, seem like to you." Vision said, focusing her resolve. "My friends, they may not matter to you, but they matter to me. And what I am, isn't any concern of yours. I'm fine being myself, and if you were really the Lovely I knew-" Vision turned, and her hands parting and taking hold of the naginata constructed of energy that materialized in her grasp. The blade reaching out and stabbing into the ground what UnLovely had been balancing on her finger. It was a mask with yellow eyes and a red slash for a smile - a Kowania mask, "...you would understand that."

UnLovely was unperturbed, however, and just summoned her own weapon made of energy - a sword - before Vision engaged her. With the naginata's height, Vision had an advantage in reach and was able to keep a distance. However, in comparison, UnLovely's sword was of a lighter weight and allowed her to be faster. Yet their duel wouldn't last long, mainly due to two factors: the first being that UnLovely had an advantage due to being mentally unhinged in more ways than one.

The other, however, was that their direct battle was interrupted by a bolt of electricity that forced UnLovely away. Vision turned to see Peace and Lemonade standing there, the former having two fingers raised up in a V.

"Vision, we need to get out of here." Peace said simply as Mint, Aqua, and Rouge fought against Phantom nearby seemingly even. "Is there anywhere else you can think of that we can regroup at?"

Yet before Mirror could answer, there was a light that flared up nearby. The three of them turned to see their fellow Precure all collapsed to the ground, defeated, yet the cause - however - was not Phantom. Instead, it was a woman with blonde hair, dressed in what seemed like black and white, and armed with a scepter. Phantom knelt to her, yet she wasn't looking at him.

Instead, she was looking directly at them. Red eyes brimming with malice.

"Queen Mirage." Vision whispered, her mind racing. So, at this point, there were not only just enemies that miraculously returned but also foes that were once redeemed were now evil once again. And even then, given UnLovely, it was fairly possible that there were more she was unaware of.

"Vision, can you think of somewhere safe?" Lemonade asked, as UnLovely returned but was now standing beside Queen Mirage.

"I-"

"Can you think of somewhere safe?" Lemonade repeated.

"I… I _might_ but-"

"You both need to get out of here." Lemonade said resolutely, "I will provide you cover with my song." She brought her hands up, the space apart occupied by the gem on her chest.

"But-"

UnLovely took a step forward, "Go now!" Lemonade ordered before the gem glowed and she let out a loud, sonic scream towards their three foes. As the area became more damaged, and Phantom, UnLovely, and Queen Mirage were pushed back by the shriek, Mirror and Peace had no choice but to retreat - the latter more willing than the former who dismissed her weapon.

As for Lemonade, she wailed as loud and as long as she could. While once before she used this song to try and ensure the death of her counterpart, now she was using it so that another may survive. Unfortunately, her song would soon be silenced the moment her gem was damaged. For without it to sustain her, like the others, she would cease to exist.

And that would happen when UnLovely was able to target a successful shot to stun her, followed by Phantom and Queen Mirage targeting her gem to force it to fracture into shards. Ironically, the only sound she made before fading away was a choked gasp.

Thus fell the Dark Precure 5.

* * *

Peace panted, as she and Vision momentarily stopped in an abandoned building. Vision spying out the window, as the surviving Bad End Cure caught her breath.

"If only the original Peace was more athletic." Peace breathed, "we could have gotten away farther."

"We got a sizeable distance to buy us some time." Vision said, turning away from the window. "Why has everything gone so wrong, though?" she wondered, leaning against a wall. "None of this makes much sense."

"Doesn't have to." Peace pointed out, "considering all the various threats the world had faced and other worlds or lands that exist with a theme, past enemies showing up again - for the third time - isn't unreasonable."

"No, but Mirage and PhanPhan were freed from Red's control." Vision countered, "plus, there's what happened to Megumi and then the other Bad End Precure suddenly vanishing. This isn't Flare's doing, or else we wouldn't have succeeded against those Kowania and Sairaks." She stopped to grimace before letting out a sigh, "I don't know what's left that we can do."

"Well… can you teleport us somewhere?" Peace asked, "maybe there's still a chance one of the other Precure is still fighting."

"Maybe, but what UnLovely said." Vision paused, rubbing her eyes, "there's no way of knowing if there is somewhere safe for us to regroup in."

"Wait, what about the New Prism Flower?" Peace suddenly said, causing Vision to look to her.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, that allows for travel to the various worlds and lands right?" Vision nodded slowly, "so, what if you called upon that to send us to somewhere that isn't swarming with these enemies."

"That could work." Vision mused, "besides it's not like there's else we could do." She straightened herself up, "ready yourself, Peace, this is probably gonna be rough."

Peace got close, "Alright, ready when you are." She said, as Vision brought a hand to her LovePreBrace and then both of them closed their eyes.

"I call upon the New Prism Flower and ask, please, grant myself and Bad End Peace the means to travel to a safe haven. Please hear me, for you are our only hope remaining." Vision said as if she was giving an incantation or a prayer. _"Precure! Gray Perceptive Opening!"_ She called out, as a light shined from her LovePreBrace and a light appeared on the wall nearby, resembling a doorway.

Both Vision and Peace opened their eyes and turned to the doorway, something was going right now.

"Okay, let's get out of here." Vision said, moving to the doorway with Peace in tow before something caught the corner of her eye. A dark violet streak that forced itself through the window and headed straight for them-

"Look out!" Peace suddenly shouted, pushing Vision ahead and into the doorway. Vision was briefly able to turn to see Peace, her last friend, impaled through a sword wielded by Cure Tender, corrupted once again. As Vision was pulled backwards, into a white void, she could do nothing but watch as Peace bled out black ink from her wound…

* * *

 **END OF SHARD 3**


	4. Shard 4 - The Aftermath

**SHARD 4 - The Aftermath**

" _AAH!" Cure Vision cried, crashing into the wall and leaving a large indent into it. Wincing in pain, she looked up to see her opponent sinisterly smirk towards her. He slowly approached like a proud predator savoring a sadistic game with its prey._

" _I told you this isn't over, you Teme bitch." The Shale Wanderer said in a smug tone, his sword heaved upon his shoulder, "I told you I'd be back; your little 'mirror' bullkuso couldn't hold me up forever. Or those half-assed Cure copies you had with you cause, you know, I'm the hero after all."_

 _Gritting her teeth, Vision pushed herself out of the wall. Once free, and on shaky feet, she moved to attack. "P-Precure- GAH!"_

 _However, her hands were grabbed by the Shale Wanderer's who hoisted her up and off the ground. There was a lecherous look in his eyes as his smirk turned into a starving smile._

" _And I think, as compensation, I deserve a nice little taste. Don't you?" He almost seemed to whisper, though Vision tried to swing her leg up in addition to struggling. "don't worry… I won't be too rough."_

N-No. Get away.

" _Goshichousama!"_

GET AWAY FROM ME! AHHHHHHH!

* * *

"Ah!" Kyoko cried out in a warm sweat, panting as her heart thumped in her chest like a drum. Frightened eyes looked around the room, as if she was still cast in darkness.

But she wasn't. In fact, whatever 'here' is, it seems unlikely to even have a darkness. It was always white, clear, and had all this light constantly around; it's amazing that she was asleep as long as she was anyway.

And…

' _What am I sleeping on?'_ Kyoko wondered, calming down slightly as she took in the details of the room she was in. Or, at least, what seemed like a room.

While it did have furnishings - including the bed she had been sleeping on - the entire thing seemed more like an outline made by clear bubbles of some kind. The entire room was like this, made of this clear, soft material that looked like it was ready to pop at any moment. However, the second thing Kyoko realized as she took in the environment was how… bizarre it all was.

Namely, how all outlines seemed to either clash or be uneven with one another yet still changing. The bed frame itself was shuddering as it shifted slightly from one state to another. Now though it resembled the bed she slept in back when she was attending Cinq Lumieres; it even had the small 'blanket' her mom tried making for her.

"What is going on here?" Kyoko whispered to herself.

" _A fair question, Kyoko Kanae."_ A voice suddenly spoke up, sounding feminine, _"one that is also fairly mutual to me as well."_

Hearing this caused Kyoko to immediately move off of the bed she was on, land on the floor, and assume a fighting position. She looked for the voice's source, but seemed to find no one or nothing present.

"Who's there? Show yourself!"

" _There's no need for aggression, Kyoko."_ The voice spoke, feeling reminiscent of calm waves crashing against a shore. _"My name is Fantine, and you're in a safe haven."_

Kyoko raised an eyebrow and asked, "Which is?"

" _The Lighthouse; my domain. And while I'm happy to see that you've survived, I'm less enthusiastic about coming in uninvited."_ The voice, Fantaine, sounded slightly put off. _"However… I can't exactly send you back. I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but… your Vertex has fallen to Dead End."_

"Dead End… wait, you mean those enemies that returned?" Kyoko asked, "how much of a threat are they?"

" _More than you can imagine, Kyoko. Now, how did you get here?"_

"I…" Kyoko froze, as her mind returned her to still recent events. "I-I got because of the New Prism Flower; two of my friends, they… they sacrificed themselves for me. Dead End's forces proved too much for us all to handle. I…" Kyoko looked away, her face guilt ridden, "I should have been more careful."

" _You and your friends tried your best, given the circumstances."_ Fantine said in a reassuring tone. _"If it's of any comfort to you, you and your team are hardly the only Precure that are suffering right now. If you stay here, I can at least promise you safety, and-"_ There was a sudden pause, making Kyoko worried.

"Fantine?" She called out.

" _You… you should get back in bed."_ Fantine said with a weariness.

"Why? I feel fine."

" _...Look down at your legs."_

With a degree of suspicion, Kyoko did so only to immediately get surprised and alarmed by what she saw. Everything below her knee was no longer flesh and cloth, but instead now made of the same clear material as the rest of the room. Hell, she couldn't even feel her toes now.

"W-What's happening!?" She cried out, hoping back onto the bed and looking over legs.

" _It must be due to your nature. As far as I can tell, you're not a fixture of any one Facet, you're part of all of them… and none of them. A walking paradox. Your body must be trying to adjust to the Immaterial that makes up the Lighthouse."_ Fantine said, as Kyoko's lower legs began shifting back to how they once were, _"I'm afraid you're going to need to stay here until you're body has fully acclimated."_

"B-But I-" Kyoko stopped to catch her breath, "I can't just stay here. If Dead End is still out there, then I need to stop them. If…" Kyoko stopped to blanched, "if Flare g-gets out, then that'll be even worse! Please, you've got to-"

" _There's nothing more that you can do."_ Fantine interrupted, with a sharp tone. _"And even then, if you don't stay in bed, you'll be unable to leave this room. I'm sorry, Kyoko."_

"But I-"

" _I think I can make this easier on you. There's someone here that wants to see you, now that you're awake."_

"I… alright. Let 'em in." Kyoko said, her bed having now changed once again. It was reminiscent of the one from her room in Kanon Town given the small wooden note carved into the headboard.

One of the 'walls' rippled, forming into a simple and plain looking door. Once finished, it opened to reveal a girl around eight or nine years old, with long snowy hair and unusual eyes that were ringed in many colors. She was dressed in a brown costume with suspenders and spotted socks.

"Uh, Fantine, who is this?" Kyoko asked, picking through her memories yet found no recollection of the girl before her.

There was a small chuckle from the room, _"Sort of like a little sister to me… and an old friend to you."_

"B-But who? I don't-"

 _-static-_

The girl changed just as Kyoko began to speak, now an older girl in white and pastel colors. With long twin, blonde tornadoes of hair at the top of her head and a green gem upon her chest. The look in her eyes and the smile confirmed it; Fantine was right, Kyoko knew who this was.

"A-Ayumi-san." The name came out like a choked whisper, "you - you came here? Y-You..." Words failing her, Kyoko had no other option as emotion overwhelmed her.

So, she did the most dignified course of action that someone of her caliber could manage. The one action that a Legendary Warrior such as herself would take in a moment like this.

"Ayumi-san!" Kyoko cried out, jumped off of the bed and embracing the other while tears streamed down her face.

What Kyoko didn't see, beyond her knees starting to turn Immaterial again, was that there were similar tears running down Ayumi's face as well. Even though only one part of the entity known as the Stranger was Ayumi Sakagami, otherwise Cure Echo, it was still enough to make the whole feel relief and full of joy.

Joy that another of her friends managed to survive and that she wasn't forgotten.

* * *

 **END OF SHARD 4**


	5. Shard 5 - The Reaction

**Shard 5 - The Reaction**

Sometimes, activities provide the best release from any issues. People go on to do any immediate thing that they can think of to provide that release. For some, it's cleaning; they are completed to scrub and scrub until their hands are raw and red. For others, it could be some form of exercise to work off the agitation or aggression; turning their fire into fuel.

 _-snip-_

But, for Tsubomi Hanasaki, aka Cure Blossom of the Heartcatch Precure, she had been doing mostly the same action ever since she arrived at the Lighthouse. Tending to a near-perfect recreation of her grandmother Kaoruko's greenhouse made of Immaterial; down to the smallest detail.

Of course, the single greatest flaw of this recreation was the fact that the Immaterial couldn't recreate life. All the lavender, all the rows of heather and violets and sweetgrass and dozens of other varieties, all the neatly sculpted hedges… they were little more than plastic decorations that had scents. None of it was real, so why tend to it as it were?

 _-snip-_

Well, Tsubomi was alone. While she still had her fairy partner Chypre, and Coffret too for that matter, she was virtually isolated. Her family was still back in Kibougahana, and Tsubomi had no idea if they were alright; maybe her grandmother could protect them. Maybe Coupe managed to get back to them and they were safe. Maybe-

 _-snip-_

While Erika Kurumi, friend, fellow Precure, and Cure Marine, came here with her, she wasn't here anymore. Erika and some of the other residents of the Lighthouse decided to take part in a retaliation against Dead End. Like with her family, Tsubomi had no idea if her friend or any of the others were okay. To think, Tsubomi was just getting out of her shell and then Erika vanished into thin air. It was honestly little wonder that she relapsed back to tending garden and-

 _-snip-_

Tsubomi paused in realization towards an error; she had accidentally cut a flower mixed in with overgrown foliage.

 _'_ _That's a shame.'_ she thought despondently, reaching for the flower among the trimmings.

"...there's actually a spaceship around here?" a voice suddenly spoke up nearby, causing Tsubomi took away from her work. She saw two figures approaching; the former was the Stranger she saw before - blonde hair, ruby eyes, and turquoise dress. The latter, and being lead by the arm by the Stranger, was someone-

 _"_ _...believe you, Tsubomi. I won't… Olivier…"_

...someone that Tsubomi didn't know. At least, what she could make out were some details. Specifically that the girl's hair was a golden-brown, and that she was dressed in a light green shirt dress.

The girl seemed to look around as the Stranger lead her towards Tsubomi's direction. "Eh, Ayumi why are we here? It looks like-" The girl began to ask, but stopped when she got perfect eyesight of Tsubomi, inadvertently causing scarlet to meet grey.

The girl whispered something that Tsubomi didn't hear, though there was a hopeful look in her eyes. Unfortunately, Tsubomi felt skittish by this rapid turn of events; she broke eye contact and quickly moved to hastily pick up her tools in order to run.

"Wait!" Tsubomi heard the girl call out, and for some reason, she did. She froze, allowing the girl to run up to her and get closer. "It is you right? You're actually here, Tsubomi-san?"

Turning slowly, Tsubomi saw the girl standing there, slightly taller than her, with her soft features caught in a cautious optimism. Tsubomi felt conflicted for some reason; who was this girl? Why did she feel familiar?

"H-Hai." Tsubomi replied, "and you-ugh!"

"Tsubomi!" The girl cheered, Tsubomi found herself swept up into a big hug. "No wonder Ayumi-san hasn't said anything; she wanted to surprise me!" Tsubomi got uncomfortably stiff from the embrace, trying to figure out what to say. The girl pulled back, her hands grasped on Tsubomi's shoulders.

"Where're the others?"

"H-huh?"

"You know, Chypre, Erika and Coffret, Itsuki and Potpourri, and Yuri-san." The girl said, speaking warmly about the names she just rattled off, "are they inside that greenhouse, or are they at that spaceship Ayumi mentioned?"

All this managed to accomplish was make Tsubomi go from being conflicted and confused, to just being worried and confused. She looked down from the girl, her mind starting to dread over the possibilities regarding the statuses and fate of her friends and family.

And yet, surprisingly, the girl seemed to recognize this. Her expression fell into one of concern.

"Hey, are you alright Tsubomi?" she asked in a soft, gentle tone. "You look like you just saw Dune or Baron-."

"Who are you!?" Tsubomi cried out, almost screaming, "how do you know about us and where did you come from!? And why…" She stopped to breathe and then push her glasses up, whispering, "why do you feel so familiar?"

The girl's face fell after hearing this, as if she was physically hurt by Tsubomi asking those questions. Honestly, seeing that expression made Tsubomi feel bad but she needed some answers.

"I…" The girl started, obviously stunned. "Oh, that's right. You wouldn't… okay." She stopped, taking a breath, before giving a small, friendly smile. "My name is Kyoko Kanae, and I'm from Lavinia Town though my family moved around a lot due to my dad's work. Sometimes I think I've been across Japan so many times, I should get a punch card or something." The girl, Kyoko, finished with a cheeky grin.

"So, you lived in Kibougahana at some point, Kanae-san?" Tsubomi asked, processing what she just heard.

"Yup."

"Then how do you know about-"

"You being a Precure?" Kyoko finished

"...I was going to ask about Erika and Itsuki." Tsubomi clarified, mentally wincing over what happened to Itsuki, "but now that you mentioned it, how do you know so much?"

"Well…" Kyoko began, an uneasy look in her eyes. "I, kinda sorta, was a member of the Heartcatch Precure."

Tsubomi stared at Kyoko dumbfounded and uncomprehending what she just said.

"It started when my mom got turned into a Desertrian by Cobraja. I would have been flattened if you and Erika hadn't turned up. I didn't think much of it until later, when Potpourri came to me thinking I was his partner."

"But I thought Potpourri only went to Ban and Aya…"

"Well, yeah, but he found me too." Kyoko said, before adding, "though honestly they should have used a better disguise than an oversized coat and hat. It was pretty ridiculous, to be honest."

"What happened next?"

"Well, after that, Sasorina turned up and wanted Potpourri - she wanted to avoid having to fight more than two Cures instead of one. She tried to turn me into a Desertrian, but Potpourri saved me and then I awoke as Cure Lily." Kyoko explained before smiling fondly in remembrance if Tsubomi had to guess, "the flower that revives and renews. Yeah, that's how it went."

Tsubomi blinked after hearing this, "So you're saying…"

"I fought with you, Erika, Itsuki, and then Yuri-san against the Desert Apostles in Japan." Kyoko finished, still fondly smiling, adding, "a-and that one time with Baron Salamander and Olivier in France."

Tsubomi kept her silence, while she did feel a twinge of reference to what Kyoko was talking about, it was mainly because she had experienced most of it. She remembered fighting against the Dune's forces, sure, but in regards to Kyoko's claims of being a "Cure Lily"... well, it made her feel like she was being reminded of something absent. Like trying to remember which flower a mirror was reflecting, or having a dream and only recalling half of it.

"If what you're saying is true, then how come I can't remember any of that or you, Kyoko-san?" Tsubomi asked, more curious than confused now. "Where did you go?"

Kyoko's face fell slightly, her smile fading away as she seemed ashamed of something.

"Well, after everything was over, my family moved away to another town and did so four more times until finally settling on one place permanently." She began to explain, a hint of regret in her eyes, "but there came a point when I had to erase my past as a Precure to save everyone after our world was… damaged by someone else. It's only because of Dead End's actions that I've returned, but even then I don't know for how long." She gave a small smile, though it seemed disingenuous, "I'm happy to able to see you again, Tsubomi. Despite the circumstances I mean."

Tsubomi kept silent, processing everything Kyoko had just told her including possible implications. Maybe Kyoko is telling the truth, even if how her story ended seems to have a weight on her shoulders, but how did she get to the Lighthouse? Was she brought here by the Stranger or…

 _'_ _Could she travel between worlds? Could she find Erika and the others?'_

"Kyoko-san." Tsubomi found herself asking.

"Yes?"

"Could you-"

Suddenly, Kyoko seemed to grimace in pain with her teeth clenched and one of her hands moving to massage her temples.

"Are you alright?" Tsubomi asked, concerned while Kyoko seemed to bare her pain. "K-Kyoko-san?"

"I-I'm okay, I think." She replied, the pain seeming to subsidize as far as Tsubomi could tell, "something's just happened. I can f-feel it." Kyoko panted lightly, "we better check it out; it could be important."

"Are you sure? Do you know where to look?"

"Yeah, I got a good idea." Kyoko answered with a determined look in her eyes before turning, "follow me." She instructed, heading away from the Tsubomi and the reaction.

Tsubomi stood for a moment, silently contemplating her options, before taking off her smock and gloves. Kyoko was an unknown ultimately, but Tsubomi had to gamble that there was more to her words than having a half-forgotten familiarity. And whatever Kyoko was going, there was bound to be something important.

Although, as Tsubomi moved to catch up, the pile of cut Immaterial remained. Had Tsubomi stayed and resumed her duties, or Kyoko came later or didn't, she would have discovered what flower she had unknowingly cut.

A lily.

* * *

 **TSAB L-Class Inspection Cruiser Arthra**

 **Second Recovery Ward**

For Kirara Amanogawa, Cure Twinkle, it had been a trying time.

Ever since what happened back at Yumegahama - and that felt like weeks ago - things had been very rough. Two of her friends were taken by a then-unknown enemy, Dead End, after all four of them were ambushed. While she, Towa, and Yui were able to get to relative safety, something had to be done in return.

So, she, along with a group of others that had fled to the Lighthouse, mounted a retaliatory strike and rescue to save their friends and loved ones from Dead End. Take the fight to the enemy, where they wouldn't expect it was the idea.

Unfortunately, like most things lately, it all went wrong and ended with a trap set by Dead End's leader, Joker. While Kirara didn't suffer much mentally or physically in comparison to the others- _'especially Iona,'_ she thought bitterly-it was a disaster regardless. If whatever or whoever didn't save her and the others, well most of the others, Kirara shuddered at what could have happened.

Since returning, she had been waiting outside the ICU with the others. Well, except for Towa - thankfully she went back to bed after being reassured that she was alright. Although seeing Towa's hair more white than red was terrifying, Yui and Yayoi did provide a decent break from everything. Tsubomi herself kept quiet, and given what happened to Erika this isn't that surprising.

If only they were more successful with their mission, they'd be in better states.

If only-

"Sorry I'm late." A voice spoke up, causing most of them to look up. Approaching them was a girl around their age and Kirara's mind immediately took note of her appearance.

Gold-brown hair pulled into a chignon bun and secured by a hairpin, light green dress shirt bound by a rich cream-colored buckleless belt, gray tights that ended with brown deck shoes. She wasn't too tall as far as Kirara felt, though something that drew her attention were the gray eyes unhidden by soft features. It almost made her think that this girl was blind, or at least there was an impression.

"Ayumi-san really got worked up by that event." She said, taking a seat by Tsubomi. Kirara noted silently that the girl seemed to regard at seeing Yayoi for some reason, however faint it was.

"Kyoko, she doesn't really speak." Kirara heard Tsubomi murmur.

"Well, yeah, but she's not that hard to understand."

Kirara blinked, trying to absorb that.

"U-umm, excuse me." Yui spoke up, sitting by Yayoi, "not to be rude, but who are you?"

The girl - Kyoko if Kirara heard correctly - looked to Yui, a brief flash of surprise appeared in her eyes.

"Ah, well, that's a long story." She replied, "I'm an old friend of Tsubomi and Erika's. My name is Kyoko Kanae, I was apart of… well… I was a Precure like them."

 _'_ _Well, that figures.'_ Kirara thought, unsurprised given that most of the Lighthouse's residents were alike to some capacity. _'Though why wasn't she with the others when we met Misumi?'_

There was something suspicious about this. Why-

"Umm, Kyoko-san." Yayoi spoke up, drawing everyone's eyes to her, "h-have we met before?"

"Hmm?"

"W-well, it's just t-that you seem really familiar." Yayoi murmured, "l-like we met before. A-and not just s-something like Fusion, or Shadow, or in that dream world with those nightmares." She looked up, right towards Kyoko who had a muted expression, "d-did we meet before?"

And then, Kirara observed the corners of Kyoko's mouth twitch slightly as a cautiously optimistic look appeared in her eyes.

"Yayoi, I-"

 _-static-_

It came from out of nowhere.

An overwhelming pain that struck all of them. It was unbearable, and the noise that accompanied it was worse. It was a screeching, warbling scream, deafening all their senses even though it shouldn't be possible.

But Kirara saw something within her mind, of two figures - one dressed in black and the other white - meeting only for the former to tear the latter in half.

There were also these words, not said but forcefully implanted like someone drove them into her skull:

 **KNOW THAT THE DEVIL WALKS AMONG YOU,**

 **AND HER NAME IS HOMURA AKEMI.**

Throughout it all though, Kirara had enough of her head left over to see that she wasn't the only one suffering. Towa, Yayoi, Yui, Tsubomi, and Kyoko all seemed to under the same pain as her - but what was this supposed to mean?

And then, after what seemed like forever, it all abruptly stopped. The pain, the noise, the vision, and the words but they did their job. For as she recovered, Kirara found that the vision and the words - **KNOW THAT THE DEVIL WALKS AMONG YOU** \- were practically seared into her brain.

"Is e-everyone alright?" Yui asked shakily, adjusting her glasses.

Yet, before any of them could give an answer… there was a scream. Not as loud as the noise was, no, but sudden enough to almost make Kirara jump out of her skin.

Looking to its source, Kirara saw-

"Kyoko!" Tsubomi cried, trying to support the screaming girl as she held her head in her hands. "Kyoko-san what's wrong!?"

As if to answer, Kyoko's eyes - gray enough that someone could have thought she was blind - began to literally crack as if they were made of glass. Kirara watched in horror as the cracking continued further and further, spreading from eyes _and onto their sockets_ like they were a demented crow's feet and then-

 _-crack-SHATTER!-_

Everything seemed to slow down when the screaming finally stopped.

Yayoi made a strangled, high-pitched sound, like an aborted scream.

Tsubomi's hands clapped over her mouth in horror.

Yui looked as if she might be sick.

Kirara simply stared; it's all she could do.

Lying on the deck Kyoko remained, murmuring incoherently and practically delirious. Yet what drew their shock, however, were her eyes.

Or rather, her _lack_ of eyes. There were clear lines and cracks that marred both them, now completely whited out with no sign of anything within. It was like looking into the eyes of a porcelain doll, where there wasn't even the slightest spark of life.

And then, before anyone could react, a hand suddenly stuck out of the deck nearby. Its fingers clawed at the air before it elongated into an arm and managed to grab onto the deck. It pulled itself forward, revealing a figure that rapidly took shape. As it got to knees, the entire body was made of the same glass and soap bubble Immaterial mix they all grew familiar with, it rapidly became recognizable by having a feminine build.

The hair was long, reaching behind the shoulders and towards the back yet two strands were over her face. And yet, as the face developed, sculpting itself into soft features...

 _"_ _Ah."_ It groaned in a distorted yet familiar voice, _"Wuh… what was t-that?"_

Developed eyes, eyes that could have been gray if allowed actual colors instead of shimmering with prismatic colors, looked to them. Kirara felt herself freeze up, she had seen this before.

 _"_ _Tsubomi-san?"_ The figure said, yet Tsubomi pulled away, terrified like the rest of them.

 _"_ _What… what's wrong?"_ It asked, its form - basic details and all - seems to solidify itself just enough to be recognizable. _"Why… why are you looking at me like that?"_

She had to ask, "Kyoko-san?"

The figure looked to her, _"Y-yes?"_

"Look beside you." Kiara said sternly.

 _"_ _W-why? Is there-"_ The figure's eyes widened at what they saw; specifically the prone body of Kyoko. _"I-I… "_ They looked to their hands, and realization seemed to finally dawn.

 _"_ _O-oh…"_ The figure - Kyoko - whispered, yet it was able to be heard.

"Kyoko." Kirara heard Tsubomi realize, though the sadness was fairly evident.

 _"_ _Oh…"_ She repeated, fixating on her arms. Kirara and the others watched with a solemn silence as Kyoko flexed her fingers.

 _"_ _Oh."_

* * *

 **END OF SHARD 5**


End file.
